Ceramic multilayer substrate and method for manufacturing the same

ABSTRACT

In a method for manufacturing a ceramic multilayer substrate, when a green ceramic stack prepared by stacking a plurality of ceramic green sheets is fired simultaneously with a ceramic chip electronic component disposed inside the green ceramic stack and including an external terminal electrode to produce a ceramic multilayer substrate having the ceramic chip electronic component inside, a paste layer is disposed in advance between the ceramic chip electronic component and the green ceramic stack, and these three are fired.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to ceramic multilayer substrates andmethods for manufacturing the same, and more particularly, to a ceramicmultilayer substrate having a ceramic chip electronic component insideand a method for manufacturing the same.

2. Description of the Related Art

Japanese Examined Patent Application Publication No. 06-32378 (PatentDocument 1) discloses an electronic component-embedding multilayerceramic substrate and Japanese Unexamined Patent Application PublicationNo. 2002-084067 (Patent Document 2) discloses a multilayer ceramicsubstrate and a method for manufacturing the same.

The electronic component-embedding multilayer ceramic substratedisclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a multilayer ceramic substrate,a ceramic chip electronic component disposed in a recess or a spacedefined by a through hole in the multilayer ceramic substrate, andconductors wiring the chip electronic component and disposed betweenlayers or in spaces of the multilayer ceramic substrate. Since the chipelectronic component is disposed in a space of the multilayer ceramicsubstrate, the resulting multilayer ceramic substrate can have a desiredshape so as to ensure flatness.

In the multilayer ceramic substrate and its manufacturing methoddisclosed in Patent Document 2, functional elements, such as a capacitorelement, an inductor element, and a resistor element, are prepared inadvance using plate-shaped sintered compact plates (corresponding to theceramic chip electronic component) that are prepared by previouslyfiring the ceramic functional elements, and these functional elementsare embedded in a green multilayer composite. The green multilayercomposite includes a green base layer, a constraining layer including asintering-resistant material, and wiring conductors. When the greenmultilayer composite is fired, the constraining layer constrains theshrinkage of the green base layer in the main surface direction. Such aconstrained sintering process using the constraining layer allows thegreen multilayer composite to be fired with the embedded ceramicfunctional elements without problems, and prevents mutual diffusionbetween the constituents of the ceramic functional elements and thegreen base layer. Thus, the functional elements maintain theirproperties even after firing.

Unfortunately, the multilayer ceramic substrates disclosed in PatentDocuments 1 and 2 are manufactured by firing a stack of ceramic greensheets having a ceramic chip electronic component disposed therein.Consequently, the ceramic chip electronic component embedded in thefired multilayer ceramic substrate may be cracked or broken. This occursin the constrained sintering process using a constraining layer. Inaddition, since the multilayer ceramic substrate is fired with theceramic chip electronic component in close contact with the ceramicgreen sheets, it is difficult to prevent the mutual diffusion betweenthe constituents of the ceramic chip electronic component and ceramiclayers. Even the technique disclosed in Patent Document 2 may degradethe properties of the resulting chip electronic component.

Furthermore, in a multilayer ceramic substrate having a recess orthrough hole defining a cavity into which the ceramic chip electroniccomponent is disposed, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, the strengthof the substrate around the cavity may be significantly degraded.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

To overcome the problems described above, preferred embodiments of theinvention provide a highly reliable ceramic multilayer substrateincluding a ceramic chip electronic component with no damage, such ascracks, whose properties are not degraded, and provide a method formanufacturing the same.

The inventors of the present invention have studied the cause of thedamage to the ceramic chip electronic component embedded in a ceramicmultilayer substrate.

As a result, the inventors discovered that when the ceramic layers ofthe ceramic multilayer substrate have a thermal expansion coefficientthat is substantially different from that of the ceramic chip electroniccomponent, the ceramic chip electronic component is likely to crack orbreak. If the shrinkage of the substrate in its surface direction isreduced by providing a constrained sintering process, a non-shrinkingceramic chip electronic component can be embedded. However, ceramic chipelectronic components, such as monolithic ceramic capacitors, are oftenmade of a high-dielectric constant material, and high-dielectricconstant materials generally have high thermal expansion coefficients.In contrast, for the ceramic layer, the green ceramic layer is oftenmade of a low-dielectric constant material and low-dielectric constantmaterials generally have low thermal expansion coefficients.

Accordingly, if the ceramic chip electronic component and the greenceramic layers in close contact with each other are fired together andthen cooled to room temperature, the ceramic chip electronic componentshrink much more than the ceramic layers during cooling, andconsequently, a tension from the ceramic layers is imposed on theceramic chip electronic component. The ceramic chip electronic componentis made of a ceramic material. Since ceramic materials are lessresistant to tensile stress, the ceramic chip electronic component iscracked or broken by the tension from the ceramic layers. Accordingly,the material of the ceramic chip electronic component embedded in theceramic multilayer substrate is limited. In other words, thedisadvantages that the ceramic chip electronic component is damaged andthat the material of the ceramic chip electronic component is limitedcan be eliminated, unless the ceramic chip electronic component and theceramic layers are in close contact with each other.

A method for manufacturing a ceramic multilayer substrate according to apreferred embodiment of the present invention manufactures a ceramicmultilayer substrate by simultaneously firing a green ceramic stackprepared by stacking a plurality of green ceramic layers and a ceramicchip electronic component including a terminal electrode and anelementary body made of a ceramic sintered compact and disposed insidethe green ceramic stack. In the method, a contact inhibitor is disposedbetween the ceramic chip electronic component and the green ceramicstack, and the green ceramic stack, the ceramic chip electroniccomponent, and the contact inhibitor are fired together.

Preferably, the contact inhibitor is disposed on the surface of theceramic sintered compact.

The contact inhibitor may be a resin that burns or decomposes at atemperature less than or equal to the sintering temperature of the greenceramic layers.

Alternatively, the contact inhibitor may be a ceramic powder that is notsubstantially sintered at the sintering temperature of the green ceramiclayers.

Preferably, the green ceramic layers are made of a low-temperatureco-fired ceramic material, and a conductor pattern primarily includingsilver or copper is provided inside the green ceramic stack.

The method for manufacturing the ceramic multilayer substrate accordingto a preferred embodiment further includes the step of disposing ashrinkage retardant layer made of a sintering-resistant powder notsubstantially sintered at the sintering temperature of the green ceramiclayers on either or both main surfaces of the green ceramic stack.

A ceramic multilayer substrate according to another preferred embodimentincludes a ceramic stack including a plurality of stacked ceramic layersand a conductor pattern, and a ceramic chip electronic componentdisposed at the interface between any two adjacent layers of the ceramiclayers. The ceramic chip electronic component includes a terminalelectrode and an elementary body made of a ceramic sintered compact. Theelementary body includes a gap at the interface between the elementarybody and the ceramic stack.

A ceramic multilayer substrate another preferred embodiment includes aceramic stack including a plurality of stacked ceramic layers and aconductor pattern, and a ceramic chip electronic component disposed atthe interface between any two adjacent layers of the ceramic layers. Theceramic chip electronic component includes a terminal electrode and anelementary body made of a ceramic sintered compact. The elementary bodyincludes a green ceramic powder at the interface between the elementarybody and the ceramic stack.

Preferably, the ceramic layers are low-temperature co-fired ceramiclayers.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention provides a highlyreliable ceramic multilayer substrate including a ceramic chipelectronic component with no damage, such as cracks, whose propertiesare not degraded, and a method for manufacturing the ceramic multilayersubstrate.

Other features, elements, steps, characteristics and advantages of thepresent invention will become more apparent from the following detaileddescription of preferred embodiments of the present invention withreference to the attached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A and 1B show a ceramic multilayer substrate according to apreferred embodiment of the present invention: FIG. 1A is a sectionalview of the entire ceramic multilayer substrate; and 1B is a fragmentaryenlarged sectional view of the essential portions of the ceramicmultilayer substrate.

FIGS. 2A to 2C are process views of a manufacturing process of theceramic multilayer substrate shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B: FIG. 2A is asectional view of a ceramic green sheet; FIG. 2B is a sectional view ofthe state in which ceramic chip electronic components are disposed onthe ceramic green sheet shown in FIG. 2A; and FIG. 2C is an enlargedsectional view of the ceramic chip electronic component shown in FIG.2B.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the step of forming a green ceramic stackin the manufacturing process of the ceramic multilayer substrate shownin FIGS. 1A and 1B.

FIGS. 4A to 4C are sectional views of states in the manufacturingprocess of the ceramic multilayer substrate shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B:FIG. 4A is a sectional view of the green ceramic stack before firing;FIG. 4B is a sectional view of the ceramic multilayer substrate afterfiring; and FIG. 4C is a sectional view of a state of the ceramicmultilayer substrate shown in FIG. 4B on which surface mount componentsare disposed.

FIGS. 5A and 5B show a ceramic multilayer substrate according to anotherpreferred embodiment of the present invention: FIG. 5A is a sectionalview of the entire ceramic multilayer substrate; and FIG. 5B is afragmentary enlarged sectional view of the essential portions of theceramic multilayer substrate.

FIGS. 6A and 6B are fragmentary sectional views of essential componentsof the ceramic multilayer substrate shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B: FIG. 6A isa sectional view immediately before embedding the ceramic chipelectronic component; and FIG. 6B is a sectional view immediately afterembedding the ceramic chip electronic component.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary enlarged sectional view of essential portions ofa ceramic multilayer substrate according to another preferred embodimentof the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary enlarged sectional view of essential portions ofa ceramic multilayer substrate according to another preferred embodimentof the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary enlarged sectional view of essential portions ofa ceramic multilayer substrate according to another preferred embodimentof the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention will described with reference to the preferredembodiments shown in FIGS. 1A to 9.

First Preferred Embodiment

A ceramic multilayer substrate 10 according to the present preferredembodiment includes a ceramic stack 11 including a plurality of stackedceramic layers 11A and an internal conductor pattern 12, and a pluralityof ceramic chip electronic components 13 disposed at the interfacebetween any two adjacent upper and lower ceramic layers 11A, as shown inFIG. 1A. Each ceramic chip electronic component 13 includes anelementary body made of a ceramic sintered compact, and externalterminal electrodes 13A at both ends of the elementary body. Surfaceelectrodes 14 are disposed on both main surfaces of the ceramic stack 11(upper and lower surfaces).

A plurality of surface mount components 20 are mounted on one mainsurface (upper surface in the present preferred embodiment) of theceramic stack 11 with the surface electrodes 14 provided between thesurface mount components 20 and the ceramic stack 11. The surface mountcomponents 20 include semiconductor elements, active elements, such asgallium arsenide semiconductor elements, and passive elements such ascapacitors, inductors, and resistors. These surface mount components areelectrically connected to the surface electrodes 14 on the upper surfaceof the ceramic stack 11 via solder, electroconductive resin, or bondingwires made of Au, Al, Cu and other suitable metal. The surface mountcomponents 20 are electrically connected to the ceramic chip electroniccomponents 13 with the surface electrodes 14 and the internal conductorpattern 12. The ceramic multilayer substrate 10 can be mounted on amounting substrate, such as a mother board, using surface electrodes 14on the other main surface (lower surface in the present preferredembodiment).

Although the material of the ceramic layers 11A of the ceramic stack 11is not particularly limited as long as it is a ceramic material, forexample, a low-temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) material ispreferred. Low-temperature co-fired ceramic materials can be sintered attemperatures of about 1050° C. or less and can also be firedsimultaneously with silver, copper, or other metal having a low specificresistance. Exemplary low-temperature co-fired ceramics includeglass-mixed LTCC materials prepared by mixing borosilicate glass with aceramic powder such as alumina or forsterite, crystallized glass LTCCmaterials containing ZnO—MgO—Al₂O₃—SiO₂ crystallized glass, andnon-glass LTCC materials containing BaO—Al₂O₃—SiO₂ ceramic powder orAl₂O₃—CaO—SiO₂—MgO—B₂O₃ ceramic powder.

The use of a low-temperature co-fired ceramic material as the materialof the ceramic stack 11 enables the internal conductor pattern 12 andthe surface electrodes 14 to be made of a low-resistance, low-meltingpoint metal, such as Ag or Cu. Consequently, the ceramic stack 11 andthe internal conductor pattern 12 can be simultaneously fired at a lowtemperature of about 1050° C. or less.

A high-temperature co-fired ceramic (HTCC) material may be used as theceramic material. The high-temperature co-fired ceramic material may beprepared by sintering alumina, aluminium nitride, mullite, or othersuitable material including a sintering agent, such as glass, at about1100° C. or more. In this instance, the internal conductor pattern 12and the surface electrodes 14 are preferably made of a metal selectedfrom the group consisting of molybdenum, platinum, palladium, tungsten,nickel, and their alloys.

The ceramic stack 11 includes the internal conductor pattern 12 providedinside and the surface electrodes 14 provided on both the upper and thelower surface, as shown in FIG. 1A. The internal conductor pattern 12includes in-plane conductors 12A arranged in a predetermined patternalong the interface between any two adjacent upper and lower ceramiclayers 11A and via conductors 12B arranged in a predetermined pattern soas to connect some of the in-plane conductors 12A in the verticaldirection.

The ceramic chip electronic components 13 are disposed at the interfacebetween any two adjacent upper and lower ceramic layers 11A, and theirexternal terminal electrodes 13A are connected to the in-planeconductors 12A provided at the interface between those two upper andlower ceramic layers 11A, as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B. The connectionportion 12C of the in-plane conductor 12A to the external terminalelectrode 13A is pressed into the ceramic layer 11A together with theceramic chip electronic component 13 such that its section forms asubstantially L-shape from the lower half of the end surface of theexternal terminal electrode 13A to the bottom surface. As shown in FIG.1B, a gap V is provided between the ceramic layers 11A and the ceramicchip electronic component 13 except the external terminal electrodes13A, that is, the elementary ceramic body 13B. Thus, the elementaryceramic body 13B is separate from the ceramic layers 11A. The gap V isformed using a contact inhibitor in a firing step, as described below.The gap prevents damage to the ceramic chip electronic component 13during firing, resulting from the difference in thermal expansioncoefficient between the ceramic chip electronic component 13 and theceramic layers 11, and also prevents the mutual diffusion between theconstituents of the elementary ceramic body 13B and the ceramic layers.

The type of ceramic chip electronic component 13 is not particularlylimited, and may use a ceramic sintered compact of barium titanate,ferrite, or other suitable material fired at a temperature of about1050° C. or more, and further about 1200° C. or more, as the elementarybody. Exemplary ceramic chip electronic components include monolithicceramic capacitors as shown in FIG. 1B, inductors, filters, baluns, andcouplers. A single or a plurality of ceramic chip electronic componentscan be appropriately selected from these components depending on theapplication. The ceramic chip electronic component 13 used in thepresent preferred embodiment includes an elementary ceramic body 13Bincluding a plurality of stacked ceramic layers and a plurality ofinternal electrodes 13C each extending from one of the external terminalelectrodes 13A toward the other external terminal electrode 13A, theexternal electrodes 13A face each other. Each ceramic layer of theelementary ceramic body 13B and the internal electrodes 13C overlyingand underlying the ceramic layer define a capacitor.

As shown in FIG. 1A, the plurality of ceramic chip electronic components13 are disposed inside the ceramic stack 11. The plurality of ceramicchip electronic components 13 are the same type, including substantiallythe same number of ceramic layers made of substantially the samematerial with substantially the same thickness, and are disposed on thesame ceramic layer 11A at the same depth from the upper surface of theceramic stack 11, as shown in FIG. 1A. Since the plurality of ceramicchip electronic components 13 are disposed at the same interface, alarger pressure or larger contraction force imposed on the ceramic chipelectronic components 13 during firing can act substantially uniformlyon each ceramic chip electronic component 13. Consequently, thevariations in properties of the plurality of ceramic chip electroniccomponents 13 are minimized.

In each ceramic chip electronic component 13, the ceramic layers of theelementary ceramic body 13B and the internal electrodes 13C are disposedsubstantially parallel to the interfaces of the ceramic layers 11A, asshown in FIG. 1B. Since the ceramic layers of the elementary ceramicbody 13B are substantially parallel to the ceramic layers 11A, apressure or contraction force in the direction that is substantiallyperpendicular to the interface of the ceramic layers 11A, if thepressure or the contraction force is imposed, acts on the ceramic chipelectronic component 13 in the direction that is substantiallyperpendicular to the interface. Consequently, cracks are prevented inthe ceramic chip electronic component 13.

When the thickness and the length in the longitudinal direction of theceramic chip electronic component 13 are defined as A and Brespectively, it is preferable that the thickness A and the length Bsatisfy the relationship 2≦(B/A)≦40. If B/A is less than 2, thethickness of the ceramic chip electronic component 13 is relativelylarge. Accordingly, the ceramic chip electronic component is more likelyto be affected by piezoelectric effect resulting from compression, andthus, the properties vary easily. If B/A increases to more than 40, thethickness of the ceramic chip electronic component 13 is reduced and themechanical strength is reduced accordingly. Consequently, the ceramicchip electronic component is more likely to be broken when it ispressed. The thickness of the ceramic chip electronic component refersto the thickness in the direction in which the ceramic layers arestacked.

Although it is preferable that the plurality of ceramic chip electroniccomponents 13 are disposed on the same ceramic layer 11A, they may belocated in any location along the interface of the upper and lowerceramic layers as required. Sets of a plurality of ceramic chipelectronic components 13 may be disposed at a plurality of interfacesthat have different vertical positions. The ceramic chip electroniccomponents 13 in each set are connected in series and/or in parallelusing the connection portions 12C of the in-plane conductors 12Aaccording to the application. Thus, a multifunctional, high-performanceceramic multilayer substrate 10 is achieved.

The surface mount components 20 are appropriately used in combinationwith the ceramic chip electronic components 13, as shown in FIG. 1A. Theceramic chip electronic components 13 and the surface mount components20 are electrically connected to each other through the surfaceelectrodes 14 and the internal conductor pattern 12. If a component thatis likely to be affected by power supply noises, such as an integratedcircuit, is used as a surface mount component 20, a monolithic ceramiccapacitor may be connected as the ceramic chip electronic component 13right under the power terminal and the grounding terminal. Thus, noisescan be efficiently removed so that, for example, power can be stablysupplied and the output oscillation can be prevented, without limitingthe arrangement of the terminals of the surface mount components 20,such as integrated circuits, or mounting a ceramic chip electroniccomponent (for example, a monolithic ceramic capacitor) on anothermother board.

A method for manufacturing the ceramic multilayer substrate 10 will bedescribed with reference to FIGS. 2A to 4C.

In the present preferred embodiment, the ceramic multilayer substrate 10is produced by a constrained sintering process. The constrainedsintering process is a method in which the size of a ceramic stack 11using a ceramic material is not substantially varied in its surfacedirection even after sintering the ceramic stack.

In the present preferred embodiment, first, a predetermined number ofceramic green sheets are formed of a slurry including, for example, alow-temperature co-fired ceramic material. In one or some of the ceramicgreen sheets 11A, on which the ceramic chip electronic components 113including the elementary bodies made of a ceramic sintered compact aredisposed, via holes are formed in a predetermined pattern, as shown inFIGS. 2A and 2B. The via holes are filled with an electroconductivepaste primarily including, for example, Ag or Cu, to form via conductors112B. Then, the same electroconductive paste is applied onto the ceramicgreen sheet 111A in a predetermined pattern to form in-plane conductors112A. The in-plane conductors 112A and the via conductors 112B areappropriately connected. The other ceramic green sheets 111A are formedin the same manner.

In the description, the ceramic chip electronic components before firingare designated by reference numeral “113” and those after firing andcooling are designated by reference numeral “13”.

Ceramic chip electronic components 113, each including an elementarybody made of a ceramic sintered compact, as shown in FIG. 2C, isprepared. A resin paste prepared from a thermally decomposable resin isapplied as a contact inhibitor over substantially the entire surfaces ofthe elementary ceramic body 113B of the ceramic chip electroniccomponent 113 except the external terminal electrodes 113A, and thus, apaste layer 115 is preferably formed to a thickness of about 1 μm toabout 30 μm, for example. The contact inhibitor is preferably formedover substantially the entire surfaces of the elementary ceramic body113B, and the contact inhibitor must be formed on at least a portion ofthe surfaces, especially, it is preferably formed at the upper and lowersurface, which added large pressure.

Any material can be used as the contact inhibitor as long as it preventsmutually diffusion of the constituents between the ceramic chipelectronic component 113 and the ceramic green sheet 111A during firing,and it can form a non-constraining region where the ceramic chipelectronic component 113 can shrink after firing. Such a contactinhibitor may be a resin that can be burned or decomposed to form a gapV by firing, as in the present preferred embodiment, or a ceramic powderthat does not sinter to adhere to the elementary ceramic body 13B byfiring. Burnable resins include, for example, butyral resins.Decomposable resins include, for example, acrylic resins. The ceramicpowder can be, for example, the below-described sintering-resistantpowder. The resin paste may be a low-temperature co-fired ceramicmaterial to the extent that the formation of the gap is not hindered.

After forming the paste layers 115 on the elementary ceramic bodies 113Bof the ceramic chip electronic components 113, an organic adhesive isapplied or sprayed using a spray or the like onto the in-planeconductors 112A of the ceramic green sheet 111A on which the ceramicchip electronic components 113 are to be disposed, thus forming anorganic adhesive layer (not shown). Then, the ceramic chip electroniccomponents 113 are disposed on the ceramic green sheet 111A in a statewhere the external terminal electrodes 113A of the ceramic chipelectronic components 113 are aligned with the in-plane conductors 112Aof the ceramic green sheet 111A as shown in FIG. 2B. The externalterminal electrodes 113A of each ceramic chip electronic component 113are bonded and fixed to the in-plane conductors 112A through the organicadhesive layer. The organic adhesive can be a mixture of a syntheticrubber or synthetic resin and a plasticizer. The thickness of theorganic adhesive layer is preferably about 3 μm or less when it isformed by coating, or about 1 μm or less when it is formed by spraying,for example.

Then, the ceramic green sheets 111A having the in-plane conductors 112Aand the via conductors 112B and the ceramic green sheet 11A, on whichthe ceramic chip electronic components 113 are disposed, are stacked ona constraining layer 116 in a predetermined order, as shown in FIG. 3.The uppermost ceramic green sheet 111A having the surface electrodes 114is disposed on top of the stack. Thus, a green ceramic stack 111 isformed on the constraining layer 116. Furthermore, another constraininglayer 116 is stacked on the upper surface of the green ceramic stack111. The green ceramic stack 111 is thermocompression-bonded at apredetermined pressure from the upper and lower constraining layers 116at a predetermined temperature to prepare a compressed body 110 shown inFIG. 4A. The constraining layer 116 is a sheet formed of asintering-resistant powder (ceramic powder having a high sinteringtemperature, such as Al₂O₃) not sintered at the sintering temperature ofthe green ceramic stack 111, for example, a slurry including Al₂O₃ asthe main constituent and an organic binder as an accessory constituent.

Then the compressed body 110 shown in FIG. 4A is fired at about 870° C.in an atmosphere of air to complete the ceramic multilayer substrate 10shown in FIG. 4B. The firing temperature is preferably a temperature atwhich the low-temperature co-fired ceramic material can be sintered, andfor example, it is in the range of about 800° C. to about 1050° C.Firing at a temperature of less than about 800° C. may not sufficientlysinter the ceramic components of the green ceramic stack 111. Firing ata temperature of more than about 1050° C. may melt the metal particlesof the internal conductor pattern 12 to diffuse the metal in the greenceramic stack 111.

When the green ceramic stack 111 is fired, the paste layer 115 formedover the external surfaces of the elementary ceramic body 113B of theceramic chip electronic component 113 is burned or decomposed, so thatnarrow gaps V are formed between the elementary ceramic body 113B ofeach ceramic chip electronic component 113 and the ceramic green sheets11A, as shown in FIG. 1B. Consequently, the constituents of the ceramiclayers 11A and the elementary ceramic body 113B of the ceramic chipelectronic component 113 are prevented from mutually diffusing when theceramic green sheets 111A are sintered. Thus, the properties of theceramic chip electronic component 13 are not degraded after firing. Inaddition, the metal particles of the external terminal electrodes 113Aof the ceramic chip electronic component 113 and the in-plane conductors112A integrated during sintering, and thus, the external terminalelectrodes 113A and the in-plane conductors 112A are connected to eachother.

The ceramic chip electronic component 113 is securely connected to andintegrated with the in-plane conductors 112A with the external terminalelectrodes 113A by firing. Also, the gap V is formed between eachceramic chip electronic component and the ceramic green sheets 111A byburning or decomposition of the paste layer 115. Consequently, even ifthe ceramic chip electronic component 13 and the ceramic layers 11A havea large difference in thermal expansion coefficient during cooling afterfiring, the ductile in-plane conductors 12A can elongate accompanyingthe shrinkage of the ceramic chip electronic component 13. Thus, theceramic chip electronic component 13 does not suffer from a strain, andcracks in or other damage to the ceramic chip electronic component 13are prevented.

After firing, the upper and lower constraining layers 116 are removed byblasting or ultrasonic cleaning to complete the ceramic multilayersubstrate 10. In addition, predetermined surface mount components 20 aremounted on the surface electrodes 14 of the ceramic multilayer substrate10 by, for example, soldering, as shown in FIG. 4C. Thus, an end productis completed. The external terminal electrodes 113A of the ceramic chipelectronic component 113 may be an electroconductive paste that has beenapplied and baked, or an electroconductive paste that has been appliedand dried, but not yet baked.

In the present preferred embodiment, a ceramic multilayer substrate 10,having ceramic chip electronic components 13 inside, is produced bysimultaneously firing a green ceramic stack 111 and ceramic chipelectronic components 113, as described above. In this instance, thegreen ceramic stack 111 is prepared by stacking a plurality of ceramicgreen sheets 11A. Each ceramic chip electronic component includes anelementary body made of a ceramic sintered compact, and externalterminal electrodes 113A disposed at both ends of the elementary body.The ceramic chip electronic components are disposed inside the greenceramic stack 111. For this structure, a paste layer 115 is previouslyformed on substantially the entire surfaces of the elementary ceramicbody 113B, and the ceramic chip electronic components 113, each havingthe paste layer 115, are disposed at the interface of any adjacent twoupper and lower ceramic green sheets 11A. Thus, the ceramic green sheets11A, the ceramic chip electronic components 113, and the paste layers115 are fired with each paste layer 115 disposed between the ceramicgreen sheets 111A and the elementary ceramic body 113B of the ceramicchip electronic component 113. The paste layer 115 is burned ordecomposed by firing, thus forming a gap V between the elementaryceramic body 113B of the ceramic chip electronic component 113 and theceramic green sheets 11A. Consequently, the constituents of theelementary ceramic body 113B of the ceramic chip electronic component113 and the ceramic layers 11A are prevented from mutually diffusing, sothat the properties of the ceramic chip electronic component 13 are notdegraded. In addition, the gap V between the ceramic chip electroniccomponent 13 and the ceramic layers 11A enables the ceramic layers 11Ato shrink through the ductile in-plane conductors 12A in between withoutconstraint during cooling after firing. Thus, the ceramic chipelectronic component 13 does not suffer from a strain, and cracks in orother damage to the ceramic chip electronic component 13 are prevented.

Accordingly, the present preferred embodiment provides a highly reliableceramic multilayer substrate 10 including ceramic chip electroniccomponents 13 with no damage, such as cracks, whose properties are notdegraded.

In the present preferred embodiment, the ceramic layers 11A arepreferably low-temperature co-fired ceramic layers. Accordingly, alow-resistance and inexpensive metal, such as Ag or Cu, can be used forthe internal conductor pattern 12 and the surface electrodes 14, thusreducing the manufacturing cost and increasing the high-frequencycharacteristics.

Second Preferred Embodiment

The same or similar parts as in the first preferred embodiment aredesignated by the same reference numerals in the present preferredembodiment.

A ceramic multilayer substrate 10A of the present preferred embodimentincludes a ceramic stack 11, internal conductor patterns 12, and ceramicchip electronic components 13, and a plurality of surface mountcomponents 20 are disposed on the upper surface of the ceramic stack 11,as shown in, for example, FIGS. 5A and 5B. The ceramic multilayersubstrate 10A of the present preferred embodiment has substantially thesame structure as the first preferred embodiment, except that theceramic chip electronic components 13 are connected to the internalconductor patterns 12 in the ceramic stack 11 in a different manner. Inother words, gaps V are formed around the elementary ceramic bodies 13Bof the ceramic chip electronic components 13 so that the elementaryceramic bodies 13B are separate from the ceramic layers 11A.

For connection in the present preferred embodiment, each ceramic chipelectronic component 13 is connected to in-plane conductors 12A througha connection portion 12C. The connection portion 12C is defined by firstand second connection conductors 12D and 12E, as shown in FIG. 5B. Thefirst connection conductor 12D extends downward from the in-planeconductor 12A, which is disposed at the interface of the upper and lowerceramic layers 11A, the ceramic chip electronic component 13 is disposedbetween the upper and lower ceramic layer 11A. The first connectionconductor 12D extends to the lower surface of the external terminalelectrode 13A along the interface between the lower ceramic layers 11Aand the end of the external terminal electrode 13A, thus having an Lshape cross-section. The second connection conductor 12E extends upwardfrom the in-plane conductor 12A, which is disposed at the interface ofthe upper and lower ceramic layers 11A, the ceramic chip electroniccomponent 13 is disposed between the upper and lower ceramic layer 11A.The second connection conductor 12E extends to the upper surface of theexternal terminal electrode 13A along the interface between the upperceramic layers 11A and the end of the external terminal electrode 13A,thus having an L shape cross-section, as shown in FIG. 5B. Preferably,the first and second connection conductors 12D and 12E have a width thatis greater than or equal to the width of the ceramic chip electroniccomponent 13.

Thus, the first and second connection conductors 12D and 12E define theconnection portion 12C arranged so as to extend continuously over theends of the upper surface and lower surface of the ceramic chipelectronic component 13 so as to form a substantially square C-shape(hereinafter simply referred to as “C-shape”) that clips the externalterminal electrode 13A from the upper and lower surfaces, and of which across-sectional view angulates. Thus, the connection portion 12C iselectrically connected to three surfaces of the external terminalelectrode 13A, and preferably to five surfaces including both sidesurfaces. The first and second connection conductors 12D and 12E eachhave a width greater than the line width of the in-plane conductor 12A,so that they are connected to the in-plane conductor 12A withreliability even if they are misaligned with the in-plane conductor 12Ain the width direction. Thus, the in-plane conductor 12A and theexternal terminal electrode 13A are reliably connected to each other.

Turning now to FIGS. 6A and 6B, in order to establish the connection ofthe present preferred embodiment, the ceramic chip electronic components113 are disposed between the upper and lower ceramic green sheets 111Aand 111′A on which the first and second conductive portions 112D and112E are previously formed by screen printing or other suitable method.Each ceramic chip electronic component 113 includes an elementary bodymade of a ceramic sintered compact, and a paste layer 115 is formed overthe external surfaces of the elementary ceramic body 113B. The ceramicgreen sheets 111A and 111′A including the ceramic chip electroniccomponents 113 and other ceramic green sheets 111A are stacked in apredetermined order, and are fired with constraining layers sandwichingthe stack. Consequently, the paste layer 115 of the ceramic chipelectronic component 113 is burned or decomposed to form a gap V aroundthe elementary ceramic body 13B of the ceramic chip electronic component13, and thus, the ceramic multilayer substrate 10A is completed, asshown in FIG. 5B. In the present preferred embodiment, the ceramic chipelectronic component 13 and the in-plane conductors 12A are reliablyconnected with the connection portions 12C therebetween. Thus, thepresent preferred embodiment enhances the reliability of the connectionwhile producing the same advantages as in the first preferredembodiment.

Third Preferred Embodiment

In the first and the second preferred embodiment, the contact inhibitoris preferably made of a resin, and the gap V is formed between theelementary ceramic body 13B of the ceramic chip electronic component 13and the ceramic layers 11A. In the present preferred embodiment, asintering-resistant powder is preferably used as the contact inhibitor.The sintering-resistant powder is not particularly limited as long as itis not sintered at the sintering temperature of the ceramic layers 11A,as with the above-described constraining layer. For example, a ceramicpowder having a sintering temperature greater than the sinteringtemperature of the ceramic layers 11A, such as Al₂O₃, is preferablyused. In the present preferred embodiment, the same or similar parts asin the first and second preferred embodiments are designated by the samereference numerals.

More specifically, the ceramic multilayer substrate 10B of the presentpreferred embodiment has the same structure as in the first preferredembodiment, except that a powder layer 15 is made of asintering-resistant powder between the elementary ceramic body 13B ofeach ceramic chip electronic component 13 and the ceramic layers 11A, asshown in FIG. 7.

The ceramic multilayer substrate 10B is produced preferably in the samemanner as in the first and second preferred embodiments, except that apaste (powder paste) of an organic binder primarily including asintering-resistant powder is applied onto the external surfaces of theelementary ceramic body of the ceramic chip electronic component,instead of the resin paste. Accessory constituents, such as the organicbinder, of the powder paste layer are burned or decomposed to disappearduring firing, and the sintering-resistant powder does not sinter. Thus,substantially only the sintering-resistant powder remains to form thepowder layer 15. When the ceramic chip electronic component 13 shrinksfrom the swelled state during cooling after firing, it shrinks along thepowder layer 15 without being constrained by the ceramic layers 11A.Consequently, cracks in or other damage to the ceramic chip electroniccomponent 13 are prevented.

Since the powder layer 15 is provided between the elementary ceramicbody 13B of the ceramic chip electronic component 13 and the ceramiclayers 11A, the constituents of the elementary ceramic body 13B and theceramic layers 11A are reliably prevented from mutually diffusing.Accordingly, the same advantages as in the first and second preferredembodiments are achieved.

Fourth Preferred Embodiment

In the present preferred embodiment, the ceramic multilayer substrate10C has substantially the same structure as in the third preferredembodiment, except that the connection portion 12C of the internalconductor pattern 12 connected to the ceramic chip electronic component13 in the ceramic stack 11 is different, as shown in FIG. 8.Specifically, in the present preferred embodiment, a powder layer 15 ofa sintering-resistant powder is provided between the elementary ceramicbody 13B of the ceramic chip electronic component 13 and the ceramiclayers 11A, as shown in FIG. 8. The connection portion 12C of theinternal conductor pattern 12 connected to the ceramic chip electroniccomponent 13 is defined by first and second connection conductors 12Dand 12E, as shown in FIG. 8. The connection is thus provided insubstantially the same manner as in the second preferred embodiment.Accordingly, the same advantages as the ceramic multilayer substrate 10Bof the third preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 7 are achieved.

Fifth Preferred Embodiment

The ceramic multilayer substrate 10D of the present preferred embodimentpreferably has the same structure as the ceramic multilayer substrate10B of the third preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 7 except thatconstraining layers 16A are appropriately disposed between the ceramiclayers 11A, as shown in FIG. 9. Accordingly, in the present preferredembodiment, the same or similar parts as in the third embodiment aredesignated by the same reference numerals.

In the present preferred embodiment, for preparing the green ceramicstack, composite sheets are each prepared by, for example, stacking aceramic green sheet and a constraining layer. When the ceramic chipelectronic component is disposed inside, in-plane conductors and viaconductors are provided at the ceramic green sheet of one of thecomposite sheets. The ceramic chip electronic component is disposed onthis ceramic green sheet. The ceramic chip electronic component, whichincludes a powder paste layer around the elementary ceramic body, isbonded and fixed to the surface of the ceramic green sheet. Then, othercomposite sheets are stacked such that the ceramic green sheets face theceramic chip electronic component. Then, the composite sheets holdingthe ceramic chip electronic component and the other composite sheets arestacked to prepare the green ceramic stack, followed by firing. When thegreen ceramic stack is fired, the organic binder of the powder pastelayer between the elementary ceramic body of the ceramic chip electroniccomponent and the ceramic green sheets is burned to form a powder layer,and the glass components of the ceramic green sheets diffuse into theconstraining layers. The ceramic components of the constraining layerare bound to the glass components and integrated. Thus, the powder layer15 is formed between the elementary ceramic body 13B of the ceramic chipelectronic component 13 and the ceramic layers in the ceramic stack 11,and constraining layers 16A are formed between other upper and lowerceramic layers 11A, as shown in FIG. 9.

In the present preferred embodiment, since the powder layer 15 isdisposed between the elementary ceramic body 13B of the ceramic chipelectronic component 13 and the ceramic layers 13B, the same advantagesas in the third preferred embodiment are produced. In addition, thegreen ceramic stack is fired with a plurality of constraining layersdisposed with predetermined distances in the stacking directionthroughout the green ceramic stack. Consequently, the shrinkage in thesurface direction of each ceramic layer is uniformly prevented from thesurface to the middle of the green ceramic stack during firing. Thus,cracks in the substrate and warpage of the substrate are prevented.While the present preferred embodiment uses the powder layer 15, a gapmay be formed instead of the powder layer 15.

While in the above-described preferred embodiments, the contactinhibitor is defined by the paste layer 115 on the surfaces of theelementary ceramic body 113B, the paste layer of the contact inhibitormay be formed on the ceramic green sheets 111A in the regioncorresponding to the elementary ceramic body 113B.

EXAMPLE 1

In the production of a ceramic multilayer substrate of the presentexample, a paste layer was formed of a thermally decomposable resin oneach ceramic chip electronic component, and the firing was performed bya constrained sintering process. Whether or not strain was applied tothe ceramic chip electronic components (monolithic ceramic capacitors)during cooling after firing was determined by whether a crack occurredin the monolithic ceramic capacitors. Also, the capacitances of theembedded monolithic ceramic capacitors were measured, and the degree ofmutual diffusion of the material constituents was determined from thevariation in the capacitance.

Production of Ceramic Multilayer Substrate

For producing the ceramic multilayer substrate, first, a slurry wasprepared using Al₂O₃ as filler and a low-temperature co-fired ceramicmaterial including borosilicate glass as a sintering agent. The slurrywas applied to carrier films to prepare a plurality of ceramic greensheets. One of the ceramic green sheets was subjected to laserprocessing to form via holes. Then, an electroconductive paste primarilyincluding Ag powder was forced into the via holes through a metal maskwith the ceramic green sheet in close contact with a flat support, thusforming via conductors. The same electroconductive paste wasscreen-printed on the ceramic green sheet to form in-plane conductors ina predetermined pattern. For the other ceramic green sheets, viaconductors and in-plane conductors were appropriately formed in the samemanner. The ceramic layer made of the low-temperature co-fired ceramicmaterial has a thermal expansion coefficient of about 7 ppm/° C.

Then, monolithic ceramic capacitors were prepared as the ceramic chipelectronic components each including the elementary body made of aceramic sintered compact. The monolithic ceramic capacitor was made of aceramic sintered compact (size: 1.0 mm×0.3 mm×0.3 mm; internalelectrode: Pd; rated capacitance: about 80 pF; thermal expansioncoefficient: about 14 ppm/° C.) fired at about 1300° C., and includesexternal terminal electrodes at both ends that were formed by applyingan electroconductive paste primarily including Ag. The external terminalelectrodes were not subjected to plating. The variation in capacitanceamong the monolithic ceramic capacitors was 3CV=4.0%. Then, a thermallydecomposable resin paste was applied to a relatively small thickness toform a paste layer on the external surfaces of the elementary ceramicbody of the monolithic ceramic capacitor. Subsequently, an organicadhesive was applied onto predetermined ceramic green sheets by, forexample, spraying, thus forming organic adhesive layers on the in-planeconductors. Then, the monolithic ceramic capacitor was aligned with thein-plane conductors by a mounter, and the monolithic ceramic capacitorwas bonded and fixed to the in-plane conductors.

In the present example, ten ceramic green sheets of 200 mm by 200 mmwhose thickness after firing would be about 50 μm were stacked. Aplurality of monolithic ceramic capacitors were disposed in the stack ofthe ceramic green sheets such that they would be located at a depth ofabout 250 μm from the surface of the substrate and in the middle in thethickness direction, followed by compression bonding. Ten monolithicceramic capacitors were embedded for each 10 mm×10 mm region. Thus, 4000monolithic ceramic capacitors were disposed at the same depth in acompressed body of the 200 mm×200 mm ceramic green sheets.

Sheets defining the constraining layers were disposed on both surfacesof the 200 mm×200 mm compressed body, and the resulting stack wastemporarily compression-bonded at a pressure of at least about 10 MPa.Sheets made of Al₂O₃ including 0.5 percent by weight of borosilicateglass, which was also used in the ceramic green sheet, were used as theconstraining layers. The presence of a small amount of borosilicateglass enhances the adhesion to the substrate and helps the sheetsprevent shrinkage. The constraining layers were not sintered at thefiring temperature of the ceramic material because the amount of theborosilicate glass is small. Temporal compression bonding at a pressureof less than about 10 MPa may result in insufficient bonding betweenceramic green sheets, and accordingly, cause delamination. After thetemporal compression bonding, the stack was fully compression-bonded ata pressure of, for example, about 20 MPa to about 250 MPa. Compressionbonding at a pressure of less than about 20 MPa may result ininsufficient bonding between upper and lower ceramic green sheets, andaccordingly, cause delamination. In contrast, compression bonding at apressure of more than about 250 MPa may break the monolithic ceramiccapacitors or the conductor pattern. After the full compression bonding,the compressed body was fired in an air atmosphere of about 870° C., andthe sheets defining the constraining layers were removed. Thus, theceramic multilayer substrate with a thickness of about 0.5 mm wascompleted.

On the other hand, as Comparative Example 1, a ceramic multilayersubstrate was produced in the same manner as in Example 1, except thatthe monolithic ceramic capacitors whose elementary ceramic bodies arenot coated with a thermally decomposable resin.

Evaluation of Ceramic Multilayer Substrate

Four thousand monolithic ceramic capacitors in each ceramic multilayersubstrate of Example 1 and Comparative Example 1 were checked for cracksby X-ray flaw detection. The results are shown in Table 1. Also, thecapacitances of the 4000 monolithic ceramic capacitors in each ceramicmultilayer substrate of Example 1 and Comparative Example 1 weremeasured with an LCR meter at 1 MHz. The results are shown in Table 2.The word “components” in Tables 1 and 2 refers to the monolithic ceramiccapacitors and the word “substrate” refers to the ceramic multilayersubstrate. TABLE 1 Cracked components (number of pieces/4000 pieces)Example 1 0 Comparative 56 Example 1

TABLE 2 Variation in capacitance (3 CV/%) Example 1 4.0 Comparative 5.1Example 1

Table 1 shows that no monolithic ceramic capacitor was cracked inExample 1. This suggests that the paste layer between each monolithicceramic capacitor and the ceramic layers burned and decomposed to form agap to prevent the monolithic ceramic capacitor from coming into closecontact with the ceramic layers, and that consequently, the ductilein-plane conductors reduces the thermal stress resulting from thedifference in thermal expansion coefficient caused after firing.

In contrast, 56 of 4000 components were cracked in the ComparativeExample. This suggests that the monolithic ceramic capacitors tightlyadhere to the ceramic layers, and that consequently, a strain wasapplied between the ceramic layers and the monolithic ceramic capacitorswhen the monolithic ceramic capacitors shrink much more than the ceramiclayers during cooling after firing.

Table 2 shows that the variation in capacitance among the ceramic chipelectronic components in the ceramic multilayer substrate of Example 1was not substantially changed. This suggests that in the ceramicmultilayer substrate of Example 1, gaps were formed between themonolithic ceramic capacitors and the ceramic layers during firing andprevented the monolithic ceramic capacitors from coming into closecontact with the ceramic layers, and consequently, that the constituentsof the monolithic ceramic capacitors and the ceramic layers were notmutually diffused.

In contrast, the variation in capacitance among the ceramic chipelectronic components in the ceramic multilayer substrate of ComparativeExample 1 was increased. This suggests that the monolithic ceramiccapacitors tightly adhered to the ceramics, and consequently, that theconstituents of the monolithic ceramic capacitors and the ceramic layersmutually diffused to increase the variation in capacitance.

EXAMPLE 2

Production of Ceramic Multilayer Substrate

In the present example, a ceramic multilayer substrate was produced inthe same manner as in Example 1, except that monolithic ceramiccapacitors were disposed so as to be located at a dept of about 100 μmfrom the upper surface of the ceramic ceramic multilayer substrate, anda paste containing sintering-resistant material (Al₂O₃) was applied as acontact inhibitor onto the monolithic ceramic capacitors instead of thethermally decomposable resin paste used in Example 1.

On the other hand, as a Comparative Example 1 to Example 2, a ceramicmultilayer substrate was produced. In this instance, a thermallydecomposable resin paste was applied onto the monolithic ceramiccapacitors in the same manner as in Example 1 and the monolithic ceramiccapacitors were disposed in the same manner as in Example 2.

Evaluation of Ceramic Multilayer Substrate

The ceramic multilayer substrates of Example 2 and Comparative Example 1were observed for cracks in the monolithic ceramic capacitors by X-rayflaw detection, as in Example 1. The results are shown in Table 3. Also,the capacitances were measured for each ceramic multilayer substratewith an LCR meter in the same manner as in Example 1. The results areshown in Table 4. Furthermore, surface mount components were mounted onthe surface of each ceramic multilayer substrate and the ceramicmultilayer substrates were checked for cracks. TABLE 3 Crackedcomponents (number of pieces/4000 pieces) Example 2 0 Comparative 0Example 1

TABLE 4 Variation in capacitance (3 CV/%) Example 2 4.0 Comparative 3.9Example 1

Tables 3 and 4 show that no crack was found in the monolithic ceramiccapacitors in both Example 2 and Comparative Example 1. This suggeststhat cracks do not occur irrespective of where the monolithic ceramiccapacitors are disposed in the ceramic stack.

Table 4 shows that the variation in capacitance among the monolithicceramic capacitors was substantially the same between Example 2 andComparative Example 1. This suggests that the property of the monolithicceramic capacitors is maintained irrespective of where the monolithicceramic capacitors are disposed in the ceramic stack.

In addition, as a result of the mounting of the surface mount componentson each ceramic multilayer substrate of Example 2 and ComparativeExample 1, the ceramic multilayer substrate of Example 2 was notcracked, but the ceramic multilayer substrate of Comparative Example 1was cracked. In Example 2, powder layers are provided between themonolithic ceramic capacitors and the ceramic layers, but not gaps.Accordingly, it was determined that the absence of gaps prevents theoccurrence of a crack. In contrast, in Comparative Example 1, thepresence of gaps between the ceramic chip electronic components and theceramic layers resulted in the crack.

EXAMPLE 3

Production of Ceramic Multilayer Substrate

In the present example, a ceramic multilayer substrate was prepared inthe same manner as in Example 1, except that varied amounts of sinteringagent for low-temperature co-fired ceramic material were added to theconstraining layers so that the adhesion of the constraining layers tothe stack of the ceramic green sheets was varied to control theshrinkage of the stack in the surface direction, as shown in Table 5.

Evaluation of Ceramic Multilayer Substrate

In the present example, evaluation was performed by X-ray flaw detectionin the same manner as in Example 1. The results are shown in Table 5.TABLE 5 Number of cracked components Sintering agent Effect on in 200 mmcontent Shrinkage components substrate (wt %) (%) and substrate(pieces/4000) 1.7 −5.1 Cracks in substrate 125 and components 1.6 −5.0No problem 0 1.4 −4.0 No problem 0 1.2 −2.0 No problem 0 1.0 −1.0 Noproblem 0 0.5 0 No problem 0 0.3 +1.0 No problem 0 0.2 +3.0 No problem 00.1 +5.0 No problem 0 0.0 +5.1 Cracks in substrate 114 and components

From the results shown in Table 5, it has been determined that ashrinkage of ceramic layers beyond about ±5% results in cracks in boththe monolithic ceramic capacitors and the substrate even if firing isperformed with the paste layer formed on the elementary ceramic bodiesof the monolithic ceramic capacitors. In other words, it is necessarythat the shrinkage of the low-temperature co-fired ceramic material ofthe ceramic layers be limited to within about ±5% even if the pastelayer is formed on the monolithic ceramic capacitors. Accordingly, ithas been discovered that the sintering agent content in the constraininglayer is preferably in the range of about 0.1 to about 1.6 percent byweight, which produces shrinkage within about ±5%.

EXAMPLE 4

Production of Ceramic Multilayer Substrate

The present example used the same materials for the substrate as theExample 1, and the ceramic chip electronic components were disposed inthe same manner as in Example 1. In the present example, the same powderpaste including a sintering-resistant powder as in Example 2 was appliedas a contact inhibitor onto the ceramic chip electronic components. Theinternal conductor patterns of the ceramic stack and the externalterminal electrodes of the ceramic chip electronic components were madeof Cu. The ceramic chip electronic components were monolithic ceramiccapacitors having a dimension of about 1.6 mm by about 0.8 mm by about0.3 mm, internal electrodes made of Ni, a firing temperature of about1200° C., a rated capacitance of about 0.1 μF, and a thermal expansioncoefficient of about 10.5 ppm/° C. Ceramic multilayer substrates wereprepared at varied firing temperatures as shown in Table 6 in order toinvestigate the effect of the firing temperature on the powder pastelayer. Evaluation of Ceramic Multilayer Substrate

In the present preferred embodiment, evaluation was performed by X-rayflaw detection in the same manner as in Example 1. The results are shownin Table 6. TABLE 6 Firing Number of cracked components temperature(pieces/4000) 1000° C. 0 1050° C. 0 1100° C. 206

From the results shown in Table 6, it has been found that if the firingtemperature is increased more than about 1050° C., the glass componentsof the ceramic layers penetrate into the powder layer of the monolithicceramic capacitors during firing, so that the monolithic ceramiccapacitors and the ceramic layers are firmly bonded to each other by thepowder layer once the powder layer was sintered. Consequently, thepowder layer does not function as intended.

The above described preferred embodiments do not limit the presentinvention, and any modification is included in the present invention aslong as it does not depart from the scope of the present invention.

The present invention can be suitably applied to ceramic multilayersubstrates used in electronic apparatuses and to methods formanufacturing the ceramic multilayer substrates.

While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been describedabove, it is to be understood that variations and modifications will beapparent to those skilled in the art without departing the scope andspirit of the present invention. The scope of the present invention,therefore, is to be determined solely by the following claims.

1. A method for manufacturing a ceramic multilayer substrate bysimultaneously firing a green ceramic stack prepared by stacking aplurality of green ceramic layers and a ceramic chip electroniccomponent disposed inside the green ceramic stack and including aterminal electrode and an elementary body made of a ceramic sinteredcompact, the method comprising the steps of: preliminarily disposing acontact inhibitor between the ceramic chip electronic component and thegreen ceramic stack; and firing the green ceramic stack, the ceramicchip electronic component, and the contact inhibitor.
 2. The method formanufacturing the ceramic multilayer substrate, according to claim 1,wherein the contact inhibitor is disposed on the surface of the ceramicsintered compact.
 3. The method for manufacturing the ceramic multilayersubstrate, according to claim 1, wherein the contact inhibitor is aresin that burns or decomposes at a temperature less than or equal tothe sintering temperature of the green ceramic layers.
 4. The method formanufacturing the ceramic multilayer substrate, according to claim 1,wherein the contact inhibitor is a ceramic powder that is notsubstantially sintered at the sintering temperature of the green ceramiclayers.
 5. The method for manufacturing the ceramic multilayersubstrate, according to claim 1, wherein the green ceramic layers areformed of a low-temperature co-fired ceramic material, and a conductorpattern primarily including silver or copper is formed inside the greenceramic stack.
 6. The method for manufacturing the ceramic multilayersubstrate, according to claim 1, further including the step of disposinga shrinkage retardant layer made of a sintering-resistant powder notsubstantially sintered at the sintering temperature of the green ceramiclayers on at least one main surface of the green ceramic stack.
 7. Aceramic multilayer substrate comprising: a ceramic stack including aplurality of stacked ceramic layers and a conductor pattern; and aceramic chip electronic component disposed at an interface between anytwo adjacent layers of the plurality of stacked ceramic layers,including a terminal electrode and an elementary body made of a ceramicsintered compact, the elementary body having a gap at an interfacebetween the elementary body and the ceramic stack.
 8. The ceramicmultilayer substrate according to claim 7, wherein the ceramic layersare low-temperature co-fired ceramic layers.
 9. A ceramic multilayersubstrate comprising: a ceramic stack including a plurality of stackedceramic layers stacked and a conductor pattern; and a ceramic chipelectronic component disposed at an interface between any two adjacentlayers of the plurality of stacked ceramic layers, including a terminalelectrode and an elementary body made of a ceramic sintered compact, theelementary body including a green ceramic powder disposed at aninterface between the elementary body and the ceramic stack.
 10. Theceramic multilayer substrate according to claim 9, wherein the ceramiclayers are low-temperature co-fired ceramic layers.